Episode 57 - PhDecisions - a podcast by Cari&Caitlin

In case you haven't guess already (by the numerous hints in our other episodes and quite a few tweets), I'm going back to school for my PhD! This was a decision I've been struggling with for about 2 years, but ultimately I could not get a job teaching college students with only a Masters. It stinks, but I know I have the passion and drive to pursue this new degree and get my dream job. Shout out to Caitlin for listening to me going back and forth on this decision for the past 2 years. I can't wait to share this journey with you all! Let us know if you're a fellow grad students or someone interested in grad school so we know how much of this new path we should share on the podcast. It certainly will not replace our buggy fun, but we have shared things about our Master's in the past and it might be helpful to some if I do so for the PhD as well!

Side note: In the few days after recording this episode (because we actually recorded early for once!), I read some blogs and watched a few videos from people who had a terribly pessimistic view on PhD's and academia. I understand that the job market is over saturated with PhD's, that it's really hard to get a job in academia, and that many argue the high education system is broken right now. This is something I've taken into account when making my decision to return to school. However, for me I have a passion for teaching college students and knowing that they're not always being treated the best makes me want to teach them more. Regardless of how "broken" the system may be, if those of us who see that immediately back off and change their careers/dreams, then no one is left to fix the situation. Our students are the future and they deserve the education they're paying so much for. I'm optimistic about my ability to help make my future courses, at the very least, a worth while opportunity for my students. I'm looking forward to my next four years learning more and working towards my goal!

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